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About This Project
At the turn of the last century, the homeowner (or carpenter, for that matter) didn’t have many fastener choices for joining wood or metal to concrete. The common solution was a hardened nail, or a wood plug with a screw driven in the center. Now, at the turn of this century, we find ourselves with more solutions than the typical homeowner needs. In this article, we’ll show you our favorite concrete fasteners that’ll solve most of the concrete-fastening problems you’re likely to encounter. We’ve categorized fasteners as light-duty, medium-duty and heavy-duty, but keep in mind that there are no hard boundaries here. Some fasteners rated as light-duty can pass for medium, and so on. Also, some of the heavy-duty fasteners come in thinner and shorter forms for lighter-duty applications.
LIGHT-DUTY
Plastic Anchors
These are the fasteners you’ll buy and use most
often. They’re great for fastening shelf brackets, towel bars, rake and
shovel brackets, shower doors, pipe and conduit retainers, and most anything
else lighter than 50 lbs. They require a pilot hole at least as deep as the
screw will penetrate (keep in mind the thickness of the material you’re
fastening). Each package will tell the hole size and the screw size (Nos. 4
through 12) that’ll work best.
BEST USES: Concrete, concrete block, mortar, brick, tile and stone.
COST: 10¢ to 25¢ apiece and even cheaper in bulk. Figure extra for screws.
HOW TO USE: Drill a pilot hole at the proper location with a hammer drill and masonry bit to the depth your screw will penetrate. Tap the plastic anchor into the hole. It should fit snugly but drive in easily with a hammer. If the hole gets a bit large, use a bigger screw to push the plastic against the walls of the hole.
DRAWBACKS: If the concrete is soft or crumbly, the plastic anchor may break free and turn as you turn the screw. To fix this problem, cut an extra anchor into lengthwise strips with a utility knife and (with the screw removed) drive the strips alongside the existing anchor.
Get a Hammer Drill
Don’t burn out your favorite 3/8-in.
drill
All the fasteners shown here require a pilot hole to slip the fastener or anchor into. The best way to drill a hole into concrete, concrete block, mortar and brick is to use a hammer drill. A standard drill will do OK in soft brick and mortar, but it’ll just frustrate you and burn out bits in harder materials. If you don’t have a hammer drill, borrow, rent or buy one. Most hammer drills have a switch or collar so you can change over from hammer drilling to regular drilling. You’ll find plenty of other uses for it. You can buy a good-quality hammer drill for less than $100.
Percussion masonry bits have hardened
tips to break the concrete as they spin. The force of the hammering action from
the hammer drill quickly cuts a hole into the
concrete.
Soft Metal Shield Anchors
These anchors were the mainstay for many years, especially
before plastic anchors were developed. They still work well today and are
especially good in softer materials like brick and mortar that can’t take
the stress from heavy-duty anchors.
BEST USES: Concrete, concrete block, mortar, brick, tile and stone.
COST: 20¢ to 85¢ apiece plus extra for screws.
HOW TO USE: Use the same way you’d use a plastic anchor. Drill the correct pilot hole (see package instructions), tap the shield into the hole and screw the wood or metal piece to the wall.
DRAWBACKS: At times, soft metal shield anchors can strip out, especially with larger diameters and when you apply too much torque with a wrench. Fastener failure is tough to repair. If the fastener becomes loose in the hole, remove it. Cut strips of wire solder and push them in alongside the anchor as you tap it back into the hole. The added thickness of the wire will help the shield grip the hole as you tighten the screw.
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